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Piano Sonata in F sharp major, Op 78

Introduction

Beethoven’s famous ‘Appassionata’ Piano Sonata, Op 57, was composed in 1805. His next essay in the genre—the Piano Sonata in F sharp major, Op 78—came only four years later. During those years appeared one masterpiece after another: the fourth, fifth and sixth symphonies; the fourth and fifth piano concertos; the violin concerto; the Razumovsky string quartets; and the triple concerto. His deafness was increasing, and his emotional state was no better. Vienna was invaded and occupied by the French in 1809. A lot happened in those intervening years.

It is no wonder that the F sharp major sonata, Op 78, is totally different from the ‘Appassionata’. It is concise, unpretentious and to the point. And yet the opening four-bar introduction is as beautiful as anything he wrote. This is the only piece Beethoven composed in this unusual key—so unusual for him that he sometimes put the wrong number of sharps in the key signature. After this brief slow introduction, the tempo marking is Allegro ma non troppo, and it must not be hurried. Every note has to speak, especially the semiquavers. Even the rests are hugely expressive. The writing already foreshadows Beethoven’s late style, and is not as innocent as it looks.

The second and final movement is as brief as it is difficult to bring off. The opening theme contains a quote from Thomas Arne’s ‘Rule, Britannia’, on which Beethoven had already written a set of variations in 1803. It scampers about, with several piano passages at the top end of the keyboard. The two-note figures have to remain distinct, with a slight separation between them. Beethoven hadn’t lost his sense of humour.

The sonata is dedicated to Countess Therese von Brunswick (which is why it is known as the Sonata ‘à Thérèse’)—once thought to be a candidate for Beethoven’s ‘Immortal Beloved’. It was one of the composer’s favourite sonatas, and seems to have had some special significance for him.